Technology

07.09.2012

M/S Viking Grace takes actions for maritime safety

Viking Line Abp has ordered training sessions for shipboard personnel from the Åland Maritime Safety Center in Mariehamn covering the field of marine lifesaving equipment and evacuation technology. Training will be carried out during the autumn of 2012 for crewmembers hired for the newbuilding M/S Viking Grace. This will ensure that all ship-board employees are highly familiar with the lifesaving equipment from the very beginning when the vessel enters service on the Turku-Mariehamn-Stockholm route in January 2013.

Viking Line has also reached agreement with Aboa Mare Ab that a bridge simulator facility will be installed in Turku, Finland to meet the need for special training programmes for navigating officers. This simulator will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology identical to that on the bridge of the M/S Viking Grace, thereby facilitating training in vessel manoeuvering and navigation in narrow channels and integrating the characteristics of M/S Viking Grace and the challenging fairways along the vessel’s route.

Most of our personnel are already certified for the technology of the new vessel, but this way we also offer our crewmembers a chance to practice vessel safety operations in advance tells Vice President Tony Öhman, Head of Marine Operations.

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About Viking Line

In 1959 first genuine Baltic Sea car ferry, the S/S Viking, was placed in traffic between the Finnish mainland, the Åland Islands and Sweden. This was the first phase of an almost revolutionary expansion in ferry communications. More than 50 vessels have sailed in the fleets of the Viking Ship companies, and over 175 million passengers have travelled with the company’s vessels since the start. Today Viking Line has seven vessels in traffic on the Baltic Sea serving more than 6,4 million passengers per year. Operations include passenger services, recreation and cargo carrier services. The number of employees is approximately 3,000. The company was listed on Helsinki Stock exchange in 1995.